hushtype | It's an impossible world

It's an impossible world

Dave remembers pain.

Well, that's accurate and not. He remembers everything quite well. It plays kind of like a really bad dream. But he also know that's not quite accurate either, because it wasn't a dream. It was real. It's almost amusing how terrible things can be and still be real in this place. When Dave wakes up the first thought is how painful it was.

It's not new though. He's used to those kind of things when it comes to Jason and it comes to this place. But it always goes away. It's never permanent. Just some stupid hell that Jason inflicts on them whenever his month rolls by.

He can't help but let out a nervous laugh. Instead of the sound of his voice he just hears airy breaths and for a second his heart stops. He sits up right and presses his hands to his throat. It's perfectly fine. He can't feel any marks. Nothing that would indicate what happened. He tries to speak. Still nothing.

He tries to scream. It's dead silent. Dave swallows. It's a bad dream. This is just a nightmare. It can't possibly be real. He's just dreaming and he'll wake up and it's some hellbent punishment that he's experienced before. Except he knows he's just fooling himself.

Dave numbly gets back to his feet. He feels humiliated in some way. Slighted. He can't face anyone. He should have been more careful. Can you even be careful in this place? How long can he avoid people before it becomes obvious he's avoiding them. He's already counting the seconds.

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He steps away from him, snagging the soap as he lightly presses Dave forward towards the water. There's never a wrong answer with him, because he gets it. He even gets why the mindset exists at all. He lathers up his hands and starts to carefully and slowly work over the smaller back before him.

Dave wants to linger and take as much time as possible with this. It's contact and he really...well he gets it sometimes but it's so limited sometimes he wants to scream. It's enough to keenly miss when he had it all the time. However briefly that time was.

He lets out a content sigh. A passing of breath through his mouth and nothing more. He just relaxes and enjoys the feeling of the water against his skin and Dave's hands on his back. He hasn't been at peace like this in so long, that it was really nice.

Of course he was also really bad at relaxing. Had to keep himself preoccupied. If Dave watches him carefully, he's making hand signs to himself. He's not actually really saying anything in particular. Just going through the motions and making sure he keeps his vocabulary from deteriorating. It also keeps him busy. He didn't like doing nothing.

He notices the signs. He doesn't understand a word of it, but he resolves to learn. Dave finishes up his other self's back and moves to his sides, leaning on him a little like he had a long time ago when he'd woken up with a missing eye.

He hums some tune he can't remember the name of but his eye is on the movement of the signing hands.

Dave doesn't mind, as usual. He seems fairly content with it in actuality. His hands stop for a moment, his attention on Dave's humming. He can't really place the song name either, but it doesn't matter. He closes his eyes for a moment. Maybe it's unfair of him, he isn't sure. But he wants to hear the other talk all the time. To hear him hum. Anything. Because it means he won't ever forget his own voice. And maybe he can pretend a little.

Not that it's a fantasy he stays in very long. It hurts less moving on. Still, you can't quite let go of it, no matter what you do.

If hearing him hum, talk, or even sing will give his other self a sense of peace, Dave will do it until his voice gives out for a while. He continues to hum as he passes the bar of soap over skin and makes sure to scrub over healing wounds to ensure they get clean. Infection is the worst thing to have in a wound. The water washes the suds away and he unabashedly soaps up the other's chest, noting the difference in how they're toned.

He's been fighting head on with opponents, going toe to toe on every occasion. He has taken steps away from Bro trained them to be. He crossed over into the territory of being capable of cutting down groups of enemies with only his own skill. He just prefers to let the others join in. The killer instinct brought out in him, exists in them both but the silent one is an assassin, built for stealth and capable of using surprise as well as head on battle.

He moves the soap as high as his neck, and as low as his hips before he offers it to Dave. May be the same dude, but there's a limit to what he'll wash without permission and even then, he has his limits.

He wouldn't want Dave to lose his voice over it. It sucks losing your voice and then he'd have to wait until the other recovers to hear him again. He wonders if that's a bit narcissistic of him, but he doesn't really care.

Dave didn't want to take the chance of going head on. He knew he could hold his own, but it was safer for him to stay in the dark. He didn't want the others have to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get into danger with no way of notifying when he was in trouble. It was just better this way. But at the very least, he can keep an eye on them and bring assistance when they needed it.

He takes the soap from the other to finish washing himself up. He understands.

Dave steps back a bit from him, moving to get under the spray of hot water. He sighs as the heated water runs over his face and turns so he can make eye contact with his counterpart while rinsing off his back. While he's busy washing, he can't have too much body contact but that doesn't mean eye contact is off the table.

Dave is a little more preoccupied with washing himself, but he'll look Dave's way every so often. Everytime he'll give the other a smile. It's surprisingly pleasant and genuine. It's a little awkward, like he's still kind of unused to showing genuine feelings.

He's still struggling a bit to pull away from the poker face. It's hard especially because this place really wants him to use it more, but he needs to break away from it. Sign language isn't quite as successful without his body language, and it's easier to smile than to wave your hands around to signify you're grateful or pleased.

It's a little weird to see himself smile. He can't help but do it himself. Funny how one little thing they were taught not to do is kinda contagious. well, not necessary avoid. Bro just wanted them to be strong. Here they are.

Dave steps clear of the water, brushing shoulders with his other self and snags the soap from him since he's done to get his front scrubbed up. He'll do his hair last. Damn shit tends to look like a crow's feathers all the time. To keep up the contact without really saying that's what he's doing, Dave pushes lightly at Animus Dave with his foot. Go rinse off.

It seems to make Dave's smile a little brighter. Like the other smiling back actually makes him happy. Well, that's probably true. This place seems to be good at taking that sort of stuff away from them, so it's a relief to see that the other can and will smile.

He isn't aware that the other is purposely keeping in physical contact with him, but it's nice. He shuffles under the spray so he can rinse off, pleased with the hot water on his skin.

He soaps up his body and finally scrubs the hell out of his hair. With his hair out of the way, waits for Animus to get done using the hot water spray. He busies himself with scrubbing the bottoms of his feet and cracking his toes. He leans forward to prod at him again. "You know what I never appreciated? Baths. I mean at first it was like that's just an accident waiting to happen. Now I think about it and want one after a long fight."

Dave points up and then waves his arms as though he were paddling to indicate swimming. He could always swim in the water floors or something. He knows that's not the same. Also, he still can't swim, so he isn't sure why he mentioned it in the first place. But hey, people find swimming relaxing right?

It takes him a moment to figure out what Animus is saying. Dave shakes his head. "I barely know how to swim. Bro tossed me in a pool one summer and kept dragging me out there until I could doggie paddle. Other than, fuck if I know how to do it. How does one float???"

Dave shakes his head and shrugs at that. You're asking the wrong person. Dave can't even doggie paddle. He pretty much sinks like a rock in bodies of water. Or at least he assumes that would be the case. He doesn't actually intend to get near water large enough to drown him to find out.

He shrugs as well. Eh. They'll figure something out later. He lightly nudges him to ask for time under the water. The heated water is slowly waking him up. Though he's tempted to just go back to bed. There's shit to do today though, so he can't.

Dave moves out of the way so the other can use it. At this point Dave is pretty much done with the whole shower thing. Mostly, he guesses he'll have to walk back to his room in soaking wet water. His hindsight is 20/20, dang.

But he can't be too annoyed considering he things the turnout was worth it.

Now he just wonders if anyone else will be willing to talk to him again. Fuck.

The shower is mistly over. He could linger but there's no point to it. Dave sighs as he tucks the soap away in its niche and shuts the water off. He shakes the water out of his eye and leaves the stall. He tosses one of the two towels he left hanging up to his smaller counterpart.

It takes him very little time to dry off and start getting dressed. First comes his eyepatch. It keeps the scarred mess on that side of his face covered, as it should be. He hates looking at it.

Dave dries himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist and moving to at least attempt to squeeze some of the water out of his clothes. He'll just have to run back to his room to get actual clothes on now that these are pretty much soaking wet.

Getting soaking wet clothes back on is like it's own little hell. He does kind of watch the other. Mostly, he wanted to see the others' routine. That way, if Dave needed help, he'd be able to assist. It's also just something good to keep tucked away in the recess of his mind.

If Animus Dave was anyone else he wouldn't have been permitted to see Dave get dressed. He's still young enough that he has to watch himself grasp the towel and clothing. His hands are steady but he pauses quite a bit to make sure he's doing things right. A lot of the work is by feel.

His shirt goes on the easiest. Dave picks up his shoes and socks, putting one foot on the bench before getting to work. It just made it easier. Last comes his sword belt and the real katana he'd raided from the admin levels.

Broadswords were good but the thinner blades were better.

He watches the other carefully before turning away to kind of fold his wet clothes up so he can carry them back to his room.

The other would probably chide him for coming weaponless. He wasn't even thinking about it. He was too panicked. Too distraught to even realize what he was doing. Just that he needed to see someone. To see Dave. But now that things have settled...

Well, maybe he should head back and give the other some space. He doesn't know.

He has tasks to get done today but he really just doesn't want to do them now. Especially with Dave back in his life. It's like a wave of tension has been released and now he wants to enjoy the results. "You got anywhere to be or, do you mind sticking around for longer?" Dave tries not to sound so hopeful.

He's sure it might be pretty overwhelming to be back among people but he knows how he'd feel and frankly it's been lonely being the only Dave among the masses. Silent or no, they started as the same guy. There's a weird sort of comfort in that.

Dave looks at the other in surprise when he asks. He didn't think the other would want him to stay. Well, he didn't think the other would want him to leave, but he imagined that Dave probably had things to do. Honestly though, he was kind of relieved he did ask. Like he was still kind of afraid to be on his own. Not on his own since he wasn't gonna try playing lone wolf again, but there's a lot of comfort to be with the other. Maybe it's weird. Actually being able to stand next to yourself. But he's relieved.

He gives Dave a shake of his head... He doesn't mind at all. Honestly? He didn't really have plans for today. Maybe see some people and ease back into trying to be social, but that would be a slow process. He even gives the other a small smile.

He smiles back and adjusts his eyepatch so it rests more comfortably against his face. Sometimes he ties it a bit too tight in his haste to get it back on. The old, real broadsword is waiting to be put on and buckled in place.

It's served him well over the years nothing has taken it from him. He tracks it down after each death without fail. Dave sighs and motions for his smaller shadow like counterpart to follow him once he has his clothes and weapons in place. He wants to visit his room first. They can pick up a spare weapon along the way. "Need to head to your room first?" To you know. Not be so wet and kinda bare.

Dave kind of rubs the back of his neck sheepishly as he looks at the wet clothes in his arms, the towel around his waist and his bare chest. He looks back Dave and nods in a slightly flustered manner. Yeah. He'd like that. Grab clothes and some shit so he isn't completely naked in every way possible.

Also he's a fucking pussy about temperatures, and being damp and naked right now is kind of colder than you'd think. Clothes would be really damn nice. Just making a pass to his room in general would be nice.

Dave nods and walks out of the bathroom. He turns right, heading for Animus's room in an easy stride. He's confident now that his silent counterpart is with him. He takes the familiar passages, heading for the elevator to ride it up to the rooms. Like hell he'll make his friend keep going up the stairs and through floors when he's mostly naked.

It would be rude as fuck. He dings the elevator and holds it open. When they're both inside, he hits the right floor and shuts his eye.

It's an impossible world

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